Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
These crispy air fryer chicken tenders are the best easy weeknight dinner, and a healthier alternative to frozen food or fast food.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenders
Seasoned Flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Egg Wash
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon milk or water
Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Lightly grease the air fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat to 375 degrees F.
- In a shallow dish, make the seasoned flour. Whisk together flour, salt, and black pepper and set aside.
- In a separate shallow dish, make the egg wash. Combine the eggs and milk (or water) and beat well. Set aside next to the flour.
- In a third shallow dish, make the seasoned breadcrumbs. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, ground red cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Set aside next to the egg wash.
- Now, coat the chicken tenders, working with one piece at a time:First, coat the chicken evenly in the flour mixture, then shake off excess flour and transfer to egg wash. Coat completely in the egg wash, then let excess egg drip off and transfer to the breadcrumbs. Coat the chicken evenly in breadcrumbs, then lightly shake off any excess breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate or a sheet of parchment paper.
- Once you have enough chicken tenders coated to fill the air fryer basket in a single layer, transfer them to the air fryer and cook for 14 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure to leave a little bit of space around each piece of chicken to ensure proper cooking.While the first batch of chicken cooks, continue dredging the remaining chicken tenders.
- Continue cooking the chicken in batches as necessary, greasing the basket between batches if it starts to stick.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces, or let cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Egg wash: We like to thin our egg wash with milk when we have it, but don't buy a whole jug of milk just for this recipe if you don't already have it in the fridge. You can just use water and it won't make a big difference.
Cooking the tenders: Depending on how many batches you cook, you may want to re-grease the air fryer basket at some point. Keep an eye on it and if things start sticking, hit it with some more cooking spray between batches.
Serving suggestions: We like to serve our chicken tenders with a variety of dipping sauces - ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, and Chick-fil-A sauce, to name a few! As for sides, french fries, onion rings, or a side salad go great with these tenders. Check out our blog post above for more suggestions.
Storing: These tenders store well in the fridge for up to 5 days, so we like to make a big batch on Sunday and have delicious chicken readily available for lunch throughout the week. (Slice these tenders up and put them in a sandwich or wrap, or simply reheat them in the air fryer and enjoy!)
Reheating: Reheat chicken tenders in the air fryer, oven, or toaster oven at 350 degrees F for about 6 to 8 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 929mg | Potassium: 958mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg